Funkalleros

Original Alt-Latin

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Who is who?

 

Jose Tortabu (left) is our new drummer from Venezuela.  He cut his musical teeth back home and in Adelaide, playing with a variety of local Rock, Latin and reggae bands.  Currently lends his services to a number of Melbourne bands such as Amaru Tribe.  He is awesome! 

Emiliano "Memo" Beltzer (middle) is Argentinean, from the Santa Fe province.  He plays electric bass, acoustic guitar and sings with several Melbourne bands such as Santa Taranta and Amaru Tribe.  He wrote and recorded a full album in Argentina with his prog-hip hop band Ginkgobiloba. Drinking "mate" is still an essential daily ritual for Memo. He likes to have toast in the morning and pat his cat.

Abe Dunovits (right) was born in Argentina and grew up in Spain. He plays electric and acoustic guitar, tres, cuatro, ukulele and other assorted home appliances. He plays piano with Cumbia band De la Calle, ukulele with Amaru Tribe and cameos in other groups and duos.  When he's not busy, he writes the songs for the band and paints on unusual surfaces. He is an Alt-Latin advocate and Funkallero #1.

Abe, apart from having a successful visual arts career as a painter, sculptor, video artist and performance artist since 1994, he also has extensive experience in the music business since 1991, as a composer, in live settings and recording, in many styles, from his beginnings in Perth original indie rock bands in the early nineties such as Rosie's Kitchen, The Whitlam Years and Spooky to the community conscious Latin American ensemble Malembe, also contributing with his own songs. He released recordings with Rosie's Kitchen, TWY (Poonshead Studio Perth) and Spooky (one EP and one album also recorded at Poonshead) and recorded part of the first Funkalleros album with Sean O'Callahan (John Butler Trio) Abe has lead the most successful Big Band Salsa and Latin jazz group Sabroson since 2000, has played bass for the hi-power Zimbabwean band Shangara Jive for over 5 years, did regular gigs with Senegalese drumming master Ziggy Djane (ex Babaa Maal dancer and coreographer) and plays sessions for film and TV. Abe has played support gigs for a variety of Australian artists in the early nineties, such as Tommy Emmanuel, Kim Salmon, Deborah Conway, and international artists such as Yossou N'dour, Oliver Mtukudzi (Tuku) as well as sharing the stage in a band with Colombian salsa legend Wilson Saoko in his tour of Australia. Abe has played in many prominent musical venues in Western Australia and Melbourne and has played in innumerable outdoor festivals.